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Lowes selling Craftsman tools!?!

my grandfather had screwdrivers nexto t each other on his tool box and the pre-1980 craftsman was rust free while the new screwdriver was rusting sitting there. sadly sears has a poison touch
 
I don't see how they are going to have, made in USA. And keep the price down.
Snap on(some), SK and Wright are only USA made tool that I remember. Check the prices.
 
I stopped with sears some years back, The manager (owner) of the local store refused to swap out a tool that broke. This was after I had called and verified that they would. Two others were standing at the counter that he had just refused to honor a appliance warranty. His reasoning was that it would cost him money for the exchange and warranty work. I told him I would do my best to see that he never had to do a return again.
 
Cadcom is correct.....last year Sears sold the "Craftsman" tool name to Stanley. In the agreement, Sears will carry the Craftsman tools for 10 years....after then Sears will have to pay a royalty to Stanley....if Sears decides to keep carrying the Craftsman tools. So far "I don't think" Stanley has not made a statement whether they will continue to keep the "lifetime" guaranty.....but so far they are honoring it.
Sounds like they are both making tools under the Craftsman name if there is a royalty fee to be paid, Will be interesting to see if quality will be at a similar level.
 
Do you know if they have moved any of the manufacturing back to the U.S, yet? The last time I looked they were all still made overseas.


Not sure....I heard the same that Stanley's plan was to bring them back to the USA, but I don't know.

A little fun test with Craftsman tools....a guy at Sear's told me this one. If you have a Craftsman wrench or breaker bar that was purchased from the '70s or '80s and have a new one from the 2000's....drop them together a few inches off the floor. The older Craftsman wrenches will have a nice ring to them when they hit the floor. The newer ones don't. The Sear's guy told me that the forging/steel from the older ones were much...much better, and he would hesitate trading an older wrench for a new one. Just like (dakota port) mentioned above how the new screw drivers will rust just from sitting. Hopefully Craftsman will come back to the States!!!
 
Or you could mortgage your house and buy Snap-on. $181.00 for these...

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I don't think Sears is going to survive another year..much less 10 years.. I'm done with Craftsman tools. The ONLY things that would get me back is for them to bring production back to US, improve quality and materials so that they are atleast good tools, AND retain the lifetime warranty.
 
My ex father-in-law retired from Sears before the SHTF and the closings and mergers began. He said that the unconditional warranty was a great marketing tool but one of the worst financial moves that Sears ever made. Yard sale and flea market finds would be brought into the stores and swapped for new tools. It started to really siphon off Sears' Craftsman tool profits in the late 90s.
 
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